No More Games
by transmutejun
Summary: Pure Fluff! What happens between Jason and Princess one Friday night?
1. Chapter 1

She was in the home stretch.

Grasping the flag with her left hand, she ran around the corner, her gun blazing from her right.

Two thugs blocked her path.

Easily bounding over them, she continued sprinting toward her goal. Dodging enemy fire she landed at her home target with two seconds to spare.

The victory music played. Princess had won again, this time on Level 32.

Ever since she had received the Army Fighter for her birthday it had rarely left her game console. Every spare moment she had she would pick it up and play a few games. And it showed. Even though everyone had access to the system, hers was the only name in the top ten scores. There was just something fun about this first person shooter.

Mark thought she was crazy to enjoy it so much.

"Isn't it just like training?" he would ask, "Like _work_?"

Princess would just shake her head and laugh. He didn't understand.

To his credit, Mark tried to play the game with her a few times, but just wasn't as interested as she was. Or maybe his pride had been wounded that she had pasted him… without really trying. In any case he ignored her obsession with it.

Which was easy enough. For the last couple of months he had been so busy at the Space Academy. He rarely came home anymore, even on weekends. If she was lucky she'd see him for a couple of days when Christmas came, and then he would be gone again before New Year's. Last year, when he had been a senior in high school, and she a junior, he had taken her to the senior prom.

Was it only a few months ago? It had been a magical night, and he had even kissed her once… softly… almost a whisper… while they were on the dance floor. At that moment she had thought that things would start to happen between them.

But for whatever reason they had not, and she had instead become addicted to a game.

She shrugged and began another session.

"Level 33, here I come!" she gloated.

A noise behind her made her jump. Pausing the game, she looked around.

Jason leaned against the wall in his trademark pose: arms crossed and eyeing her with interest.

"What are you doing here, Jase?" she asked. "Surely the Great Condor has a date on Friday night?"

"Not necessarily…" he grinned. "And don't call me Shirley."

Princess groaned. "That joke is _so_ old Jase! With material like that it's no wonder you can't get a date."

"I think I've found a naïve soul who actually buys into my reputation!" Jason laughed. "Everyone seems to think that I have all of this experience with the ladies when actually…" He grew quiet.

"Actually… what?" asked Princess eagerly. She _loved_ a good piece of gossip and this might buy her some leverage later on. A girl living with four guys never knew what kind of ammunition she might need down the road.

Jason walked over and sat next to her on the rug.

"Actually, I don't go on that many dates." he said matter-of-factly. "I think the girls are scared of me."

"Hmmmmm…." Princess put a finger on her lips as she considered the situation. "I can see that. Someone who doesn't know you might be put off by that icy Condor glare you seem to wear so often."

"Icy Condor glare, huh?" laughed Jason. "You've put some thought into this."

"No, not really." she replied. "It came to me, looking at you just now."

Jason appeared thoughtful.

"So what are _you_ doing at home on Friday night?" he asked. "Why aren't you out with some of those giggling girlfriends of yours?"

"I think you have me mixed up with one of those empty-headed girls who is put off by your icy glare." Princess retorted. "I haven't had a 'giggling girlfriend', as you put it, in ages."

"Really?" asked Jason interestedly, "Why not?"

"Just…" Princess searched for the right words, "I just have nothing in common with them. Heck, I can't even invite them over since we're living at the training facility. Can you imagine me trying to get one of those girls through security?" She laughed.

"Oh, it can be done…" Jason winked suggestively.

"You're putting me on!" accused Princess, and she poked him in the ribs. He continued to grin wickedly at her and she was suddenly unsure.

"Uh… aren't you?"

He could only keep his face straight for another few seconds before he burst out laughing.

"Of course I am!" he said. "You're just another one of those giggling girls, buying into my reputation."

"Jerk!" Princess cried, and she pushed his chest with both hands. What she hadn't taken into account was how unstable his position was. Jason fell backward and Princess, losing her balance, landed on top of him.

They both laughed harder than ever. Princess couldn't remember having this much fun in a long time.

As their laughter died down, Jason became aware of the position they were in. While he certainly didn't mind, he wasn't sure how Princess felt about it.

"Oops!" she giggled again. "Silly me! I guess I _am_ one of those giggling girls!" She sat up on the rug.

She kept smiling to hide her confusion. It felt good lying on top of Jason and laughing… but she wasn't sure that it was _right_.

Jason grinned wolfishly at her as he sat up.

"See, I was right!" he exclaimed.

"I guess so…" said Princess. "And we both know how much you _love_ being right…"

He ignored the verbal jab.

"But seriously, Princess," he continued, "you need to have some friends. Someone outside of the team."

Her hackles rose. "Why?" she demanded. "What's wrong with hanging out with you four?"

"Well for one, it's not four of us right now." Jason replied. "With Tiny and Mark at the Academy, it's just me and Keyop. I know you love Keyop, but he's just a kid. So basically that leaves me."

Princess fell silent at this stark truth. There was a reason she was so good at Army Fighter.

She tried to explain.

"I just can't get close to anyone…" she began. "I can talk and laugh with other people, but I can't really tell them anything about _myself_. I can't really let them know what I _do_, what kind of career I'm training for."

She looked up at him, and he could see the pain in her eyes.

"I have to keep so many secrets, Jase. And it tears me up inside. It's just easier to keep everyone at arms' length."

She sighed. "You probably think I'm crazy. The rest of you all hang out with other kids at school. But I can't do that. No one really understands… and the sad part is that no one ever could."

Jason took Princess' hands in his.

"I understand, Prin."

Princess looked at Jason. She rarely saw this side of him. He was being so empathetic; not like his usual demeanor at all. She looked into his eyes and saw his seriousness and… vulnerability?

No… Vulnerability was _not_ an emotion one would ever associate with the Condor.

But she found that the word refused to leave her mind.

"I guess you do." she responded slowly.

Jason's face took on a thoughtful, playful look.

"Tell you what, Prin." he suggested, "Why don't you come out with me tonight? I know this great place…"

He stopped speaking as she shook her head.

"No… I can't go anywhere tonight." she said. "Keyop isn't feeling well, and I promised him I'd stick around in case he needed me."

"Oh come on, Prin." Jason protested, "You know he's not going to wake up!"

"All the same," Princess insisted, "he's the closest thing I've got to a family, and I made him a promise."

Jason knew she was right, but he had another idea.

"So why don't we just hang out here?" he asked.

"Okay…" said Princess, "Are you sure? You're not just hanging out with me because you feel sorry for me?"

"Not at all!" insisted Jason. "Scout's honor!"

"Uh… Jase… You were never a Scout."

"D'oh!" he smacked his forehead in mock distress. "You found me out!"

She smothered a laugh behind her hand. "All right then... what would you like to do, oh Scouting Condor?"

Jason looked around the rec room.

"Well…" his eyes fell on the game console. "We could play Army Fighter."

Princess was surprised. "Really? I don't think I've ever seen you play it before."

"Doesn't mean I can't." Jason replied. "It must be fun with the amount of time you spend on it."

"You think so?" she asked, surprised. "Mark thinks it's a waste of time. Too much like _work_."

"And when did _Mark's_ opinion ever make a difference to me?" he smirked.

"Point taken." Princess smiled. "So do you want to start at Level 1? I could show you some basic strategies."

"I think I could do better than that." Jason grinned. "Why don't we go head to head?"

"Head to head? I don't think that's such a good idea, Jason." Princess said.

"What, you're afraid I'll beat you?" he asked.

"Not at all." Princess said smugly, "But it would be a shame if I beat you so badly that you never wanted to play again."

"Oh, a challenge!" he retorted. "Let's say we make this interesting…"


	2. Chapter 2

Princess raised a questioning eyebrow. What did Jason have in mind?

"Wait a sec…" Jason jumped up and ran from the room.

Princess was dying of curiosity. What _was_ he up to?

He came back shortly waving two small pieces of cardboard.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Take a look…" Jason tossed them into her lap.

Examining him, she let out a small squeal.

"Jase!" she cried, jumping up and clutching his arm, "These are front row tickets to the Dirty Name Five!"

"I know…" he said smugly.

"How did you get these?" Princess demanded.

"I have connections…" Jason said mysteriously. He wasn't about to tell her that he had used Chief Anderson's computer to hack into the TicketMaster system minutes before the concert went on sale. Being the foster son of the Head of Galaxy Security had its advantages.

"So here's the deal." he stated. "If you beat me, I'll take you with me to the show."

Princess' eyes lit up. "Really? Oh, Jase!"

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Jason was not prepared for the rush of attraction that flooded his body. He slipped his arms around her waist and enjoyed the sensation. After a moment Princess pulled away and he felt a brief pang of regret. He covered the emotion with a smirk.

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself, Princess." he said, snatching the tickets back. "I said I'd take you _if_ you beat me. But what if I beat you?"

Princess was taken aback. In her excitement all she had thought of was seeing the Dirty Name Five from the front row. But Jason had a point. Although she was sure she would beat him, she had to at least give a pretense that he _might_ win.

"I don't know…" she said slowly, "Those tickets are an incredible offer. I'm not sure I have anything as valuable to offer in return."

Jason swallowed nervously.

"Well… uh…" he traced circles on the rug with his foot, then looked up suddenly with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"If I win… you have to spend the night with me."

"WHAT?" Princess sputtered. "You've got to be kidding!"

Jason just grinned at her.

"You can't be serious…" she said hotly. "I can't do that! I'm not going to waste my…"

Princess quickly clapped her hands over her mouth. She couldn't believe what she had been about to say.

A hurt look crossed Jason's face, but was gone so quickly Princess wondered if it had even been there.

"Waste your _what_, Prin?" he drawled. From the look in his eyes Princess knew that Jason understood _exactly_ what she had been about to say. She flushed a deep shade of red.

"I'm _not_ going to do that." she muttered, staring at the floor.

"Relax!" Jason laughed. "It doesn't have to mean _that_."

Princess looked up at him questioningly.

"I said, spend the night. Sleeping."

"In the same bed." she accused, crossing her arms.

"Yes." he gave her a challenging look. "Are you afraid of me, little Swan?"

"No!" she protested, a little too quickly.

"You are…" Jason teased. He went in for the kill.

"You're just afraid that you might _let_ something else happen… because I'm so irresistible…"

His words had their desired effect. Princess blushed to the roots of her hair, and her face took on an indignant look.

"You… pompous… arrogant…"

"Don't forget irresistible!" Jason quipped.

"Ooooh!" Princess stamped her foot in irritation. For a moment she was so angry she couldn't speak.

"So what do you say, Prin?" Jason asked slyly.

Princess thought about it. While Jason's proposal made her angry, she knew that was what he had intended. He wanted to get her angry so she'd be distracted, and not play as well. If she remained calm there was no way she could lose. She had reached Level 33 after all, and he had never played…

"Have you ever played this game before, Jase?" she asked pointedly.

His response was evasive.

"I've seen _you_ play lots of times."

"You know that's not the same thing…"

"What, Prin, are you afraid you can't beat me?" Jason smirked.

Princess stared at the concert tickets still clutched in Jason's hand. They were incredibly tempting. But what if she lost?

She _wouldn't_ lose. She couldn't. She wouldn't.

"You have a deal." she said, and she stuck out her hand.

Jason took her hand with a grin of triumph.

"Deal."

Suddenly Princess wondered what she had just gotten herself into. She forced herself to shake off the feeling and turned to the console in a businesslike manner.

"Okay, head to head. Best two out of three?"

Jason nodded. His face took on a determined look as he gripped the controller.

"Let's get started."

Princess began the game.

Head to head Army Fighter pitted two players against each other in a fight to the death. Players would search a randomly generated area for each other and battle it out. Unlike other scenarios there was no unlimited ammunition, nor were there extra medkits to be found. Whatever you started with was all you got. One gun, twenty shots. They had to count. It took three direct shots to kill the other player.

What made the game more challenging was that the players had to share views. The television screen was split in two. One showed Princess' viewpoint, the other Jason's.

Princess ignored Jason's viewpoint and looked at her own surroundings. Pretty non-descript, but then it was usually like that. Slowly she began to scout the area. After a minute or so she hit the jackpot. She saw Jason's back. He was too busy looking ahead to notice her approach from behind.

Letting loose, she fired at nearly point blank range.

"Damn!" he yelled, nearly dropping the control panel. He whirled his virtual fighter around, but she was gone. He looked at his health. He had taken two hits. It didn't look good.

He followed the way she had gone, trying to determine what route she had taken. He had just rounded a corner when his player fell to the ground, a red mist covering his vision. He glanced over at Princess' screen to see that she had shot him from above. He had walked right underneath her.

Princess did a small dance to the victory music.

"Almost as sweet as the strains of the Dirty Name Five!" she gloated.

"Yeah, well, don't get too confident." snarled Jason. "Let's go again!"

Obligingly, Princess reset the game. "You're on, Condor!"

This time the terrain was completely different, but Princess employed the same strategy. Scouting around she searched for her opponent. As she rounded a corner she saw him, and managed to dodge his fire. Expertly she stood behind the wall and mentally counted.

One… two… three…

She whirled back to spray bullets just as Jason rounded the corner. His player retreated, but not before she had dealt two direct hits.

Jason growled, but didn't say anything. Princess giggled.

Cautiously she went the other way and entered into unexplored territory.

But it seemed that it wasn't unexplored for Jason. His fighter jumped out from behind a tree and shot her point blank.

Princess was so surprised that he managed to get all three shots off before she recovered.

Too late.

Jason tapped his knee in time to the victory music.

"That's one-one Prin." he taunted.

"Yeah, well, you just got lucky!" Princess said. "You're in for it now!"

Grimly she began the third game.

When it began she couldn't suppress a small smile. It was her favorite setting: a spaceport, where the fighters held laser guns carrying energy bullets. Although the setup was random, she was most comfortable here.

A fact she aptly demonstrated when she used a transporter to fire a shot off at Jason.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed as she appeared out of nowhere and hit him once before disappearing.

That began a game of cat and mouse. They chased each other through the space station, sneaking peeks at each other's viewscreens and shooting when the opportunity arose. But they were both getting better at anticipating the other's tactics. After sixty minutes they had each managed to hit their opponent only once.

Princess' brows knit in concentration. Just one more shot before she was going to see the Dirty Name Five.

She entered a large, open room, scanning for Jason. Looking up, she saw him at the ceiling, standing on a platform overlooking the chamber.

Perfect. She took aim and fired.

Only to discover that she was out of bullets.

"Damn!" she whispered. Hearing the sound, Jason glanced at her screen. He chuckled. Now that she was out of bullets, Princess would have to beat him in hand-to-hand combat. Which would be extremely dangerous given that he had five bullets left.

Scanning her face he immediately knew her strategy. It was the same one he would have employed himself. She was going to tease him in order to get him to waste his ammo, then begin hand fighting. It wasn't a bad move, since he was down two hits and she only one.

But he had a better idea.

Quickly, he stepped off the platform at the top of the chamber, knowing that falling six stories onto the floor was certain death.

Princess had not expected a suicide attack. All five of his bullets hit her before he crashed into the ground, the red mist obscuring his own vision.

The victory music played. He had won.


	3. Chapter 3

The blood drained from Princess' face. No… she hadn't. She hadn't lost to Jason.

But the scene of her defeat told her otherwise. Her last moments were replayed over and over, until she couldn't stand it any longer and she slammed the console in frustration.

"Well, Princess…" Jason drawled, "I guess it's time for bed."

He was standing, and holding out his hand to her.

Princess gulped nervously. She wasn't too happy about this state of affairs, but a deal was a deal. She couldn't renege. Placing her hand in Jason's, she let him pull her up from the floor.

She allowed him to lead her from the room. It wouldn't be so bad. They were just going to sleep, right? But with every step she grew more and more nervous.

She was in way over her head. She was a virgin, and in fact had very little experience of any kind, beyond that one brief kiss with Mark. She also knew that Jason _was _experienced… or so the rumors at school would suggest.

She was terrified.

They walked into Jason's room, and Princess' eyes fell on his bed: a twin bed. Meant for one person. Two people would have to get _very_ cozy to fit on it.

She began to tremble.

Jason turned, and saw her face. It was white with fear, and she looked as if her world was about to collapse around her.

Damn it all to hell! This was _not_ what he had wanted. Not even close.

"Hey…" he said softly. "Prin… it's me, Jase. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise…"

She looked in his blue-grey eyes. This was Jason, the brother she'd known for years. He had always made her feel safe and protected.

She was flooded with relief as she realized that this wasn't going to change now.

"Okay…" she said, still a little nervous. "I… I trust you, Jase."

"I promise." he repeated. It seemed to help.

"Would it make you feel better if I turned off the lights?" he asked.

Princess nodded. If he turned off the lights he wouldn't be able to see her.

And she wouldn't be able to see him.

It wasn't quite that simple, though. Filtered, silvery light came in through Jason's window, despite the blinds that covered it. Certainly it was dark, but she could see Jason's shape as he…

She turned away quickly as she realized that he was taking off his pants.

"Prin? Everything okay?" he asked.

"Uh… yeah…" she mumbled.

"I just thought… it might be uncomfortable to sleep fully dressed."

It made sense. And when she thought about it, it _would_ be uncomfortable to sleep in jeans.

"Oh… kay…" she sighed. She should have her head examined. Whatever had possessed her to make that deal with Jason?

She heard the bed creak as he got in.

"Turn around!" she demanded.

Jason complied without protest.

Quickly, Princess divested herself of her own jeans, leaving her shirt on. She got into the bed, pulling up the covers rapidly so Jason couldn't see her.

"Okay. You can turn around now." she said.

She had been so concerned with Jason not _seeing_ her that she had forgotten how small the bed was. As soon as he turned around his face was only an inch from hers.

"Hi." he whispered.

"Hi." she whispered back, giggling. It was an incredibly silly thing to say, given the circumstances.

Jason was relived to hear her laugh. He tried to maintain the mood.

"Welcome to my humble abode." he grinned.

"It certainly isn't very big…" she answered.

He nearly choked on her innocent double entendre.

"But it's cozy." he smiled, recovering himself.

Princess snuggled down under the covers a little more.

"I guess it is." she said. She blew on her forehead, trying to displace a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes.

"Here, let me…" Jason said. Gently, he brushed the hair off of her forehead. It was like silk. Enjoying the feel of it, he continued to slide his hand slowly over her hair, down the back of her head, and then around until he was cupping her cheek in his palm.

Princess was confused. Within the last couple of minutes she had gone from terrified, to nervous, to embarrassed, to… she couldn't put a name to the emotion she was feeling now. But she wasn't afraid. In fact she felt… good… safe… loved.

Her emerald eyes widened in bewilderment. This was _not_ what she had expected.

Jason saw the panoply of emotions cross her face.

"It's okay." he said softly, "Just go to sleep."

Reluctantly, he took his hand away from her face. But he couldn't stop staring at her.

Damn, she was beautiful. How long had it been since he had noticed her in that way? It sometimes seemed like he had always loved Princess. He had dreamed of being close to her, of holding her, but had never anticipated that it would be quite like this.

Princess looked back at Jason intently. In the silvery moonlight his features were highlighted, and she could see his mouth and eyes soften as he gazed back at her.

She suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss him, and blushed at the thought.

Even in the dim light Jason could see her embarrassment. He hoped it was because she was having the same thoughts he was. He didn't want to push her. He remembered how terrified she had been when she had entered his room. But it was agonizing being only inches from Princess, and yet not touching her.

He let out a long breath through his mouth.

Princess felt his breath on her face, and was unnerved by the feelings it provoked. Quickly she turned around, facing away from Jason.

"Good night, Jase." she whispered.

As she turned around, her bottom stuck out and rubbed against him. Her bare legs brushed his. Slowly, Jason reached out his right arm and put it around Princess, drawing her close into his body when she didn't resist.

"Good night, Princess." he breathed in her ear. It sent tingles down her spine.

She was surprised at how natural it felt, spooning with Jason this way. She snuggled closer to him and gave a quiet, contented sigh.

Jason's body was on fire. Her innocent movements were causing very naughty thoughts to go through his mind. He squeezed her tightly around her waist, vainly trying to keep his hand in a relatively safe no-man's land… between two places he desperately wanted to touch her. Biting his lip, he buried his face in her hair.

Princess was so relaxed that she was nearly asleep when she felt Jason's body stiffen. Something was pressing into her back, and her eyes opened wide when she realized what it was.

She turned her head back slightly to look at him, but his face was so close that she ended up brushing her lips against his.

Surprised at the unexpected contact, they both felt the electricity that sparked between them.

Throwing caution to the wind, Princess gently pressed her mouth against Jason's.

Jason groaned. His left hand moved around behind her head, his right turning her body so that she faced him again. Princess pressed her palms against his chest, feeling his heat through the thin material of his shirt. Their legs intertwined as she put her thigh over his.

Princess was overwhelmed by the feelings rushing through her. She had never experienced anything like it. Mark's kiss had been pleasant, but this… this made her blood boil.

Slowly, Jason ran his tongue along her lips, and was gratified when she opened them in surprise. The kiss deepened, each of them sharing themselves with the other.

Jason ran his hand along Princess' back. Unconsciously she moaned, and pressed herself closer to his body. Encouraged, Jason let his hand wander lower until it brushed against her panties.

"Jase!" she gasped, pulling away from him.

"Sorry…" he whispered, but his eyes betrayed him. He wasn't sorry at all.

Princess couldn't believe the situation she had gotten herself into. Even more, she couldn't believe how much she was enjoying it. Enjoying this… closeness… with Jason.

"I think…" she gulped, "this is all happening a little fast for me."

He was immediately contrite.

"You're right." he said, "I should have been more sensitive…"

"God, Jase, if _I_ were any more sensitive, I'd be…" her voice trailed off.

"Then I can dream." he laughed softly.

Princess laughed too. "If you keep this up, you never know…" she flirted.

Jason's body responded immediately to her words, but he struggled to keep himself in check.

"Listen, Prin…" he said through gritted teeth, "If we keep doing this, something's going to give. I think we need to go to sleep. Now."

Princess smiled to herself as she finally realized the power she held over him. It was an incredible awakening.

"Whatever you say, Jase." she teased, as she turned around again.

Jason let out a low growl as he pulled her into him. She conformed her body to his shape, and snuggled into the pillow. Sighing happily she closed her eyes.

Within minutes, she was asleep; her quiet, regular breathing the only sound in the room.

Jason took much longer to relax. As he held Princess in his arms, he marveled at the circumstances that had brought them to this point. He would never have guessed that things between them would work out so… perfectly.

Eventually he was able to relax his aching body and join her in sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Sunlight fell on Princess' eyelids and gently woke her. Startled for a moment, she suddenly remembered where she was. Sighing happily, she snuggled under the covers and next to Jason. Sleepily, he pulled her close. A noise came from his throat.

"Mmmmm…" It was a contented sound.

Princess checked the time. It was still early. Good. She didn't want Keyop or the Chief knowing where she'd spent the night. On a Saturday morning she did expect not to see either of them before 10 am.

In her mind she replayed the events of the night before. While she still regretted losing the game to Jason, she didn't regret staying with him. It had been an incredible… and eye-opening… experience.

She wondered what would happen now. Was last night the just the result of curiosity? Or was it something more? More importantly, did she want it to be more? After a couple of minutes of contemplation, she decided she did.

So how should she go about it? How could she let Jason know that she wanted this new… closeness… to continue?

Carefully, she wriggled around until she was facing him. He mumbled in his sleep.

She leaned over and kissed his eyelids, one after the other.

Almost immediately, they popped open.

"You're still here…" Jason said groggily. "I thought it was all a dream."

"Not at all, Sunshine." she whispered playfully.

"No regrets then?" he asked.

"No regrets." she confirmed.

"I'm glad." Jason smiled. "You know, Prin… I was thinking… you're the person I'd most like to go with me to see the Dirty Name Five."

"After all…" he confessed, "You're the reason I got the tickets in the first place."

Princess squealed and threw her arms around his neck. But unlike the night before, this time she understood what that did to the Condor.

"Oh, Jase! You are so sweet!" she laughed.

"Shhhh…. don't tell anyone!" he whispered. "The Condor has to have a certain reputation, you know."

Princess giggled. "Your secret is safe with me."

"So… uh… what do you think the Chief would say about…" Jason kissed Princess softly, "this?"

Princess' mood sobered instantly.

"You know the answer to that, Jase. We're not supposed to…"

"But are you going to let that stop you?" Jason asked. He waited anxiously for her response.

"Of course not." she said simply. "But I do think that we need to be… discrete."

"Not bad…" Jason grinned, appreciating her new devious streak. "What did you have in mind?"

"Hmmm…" Princess mused. "How about… decoys?"

"Decoys?" Jason asked, "What kind of decoys?"

"Well, you know how Mark basically ignores me?" she asked.

"Yeah." growled Jason. His eyes flared when she mentioned the Eagle's name.

"Well… I could _pretend_ that I didn't notice." Princess suggested. "If it _seemed_ that I had a crush on him, no one would ever think I was mad about _you_."

Jason's heart beat faster. "Mad about me, huh?" he gulped.

"Yes…." she breathed. "And since Mark is so _dutiful_ he would _never_ think of disobeying the Chief's orders."

"Well, it's not a bad plan…" Jason said, "But it needs another decoy."

"Oh?" Princess raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Yeah." Jason was warming up to this. "I could pretend to fall in love with every unattainable woman we meet. You know, Spectrans, double agents, robots…"

"I love it!" Princess exclaimed. She pressed closer to him.

"And I love you."

The words popped out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying. Princess' mouth fell open.

"You do?" she whispered.

"God, yes!" Jason said fervently. "I think I've loved you since the first moment I saw you."

Princess felt a rush of liquid warmth inside of her at his words. She smiled at the Condor.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to love you right back." she said, just before she kissed him.

It was at least thirty minutes before they broke apart.

"Uh… I think it's that time again." said Jason.

"What time?" asked Princess.

"Time for something to give." he muttered.

"Oh." replied a blushing Princess. "Okay."

Reluctantly Jason got out of the bed. He looked back to see her lying under his covers, smiling, her lips bruised with his kisses.

Damn, he was turned on.

He padded off to the bathroom. He rushed through the basic necessities, eager to return to his Swan.

_His_ Swan. That had a nice ring to it.

But upon opening the door he found her fully dressed, emerald eyes snapping with rage.

Heck, she looked hot when she was angry too.

"What the hell is _this_?" she cried, waving something under his nose.

He looked, and his heart dropped. Princess was holding a copy of Army Fighter.

To be precise, _his_ copy of Army Fighter.

"I found _this_ under your bed!" Princess spat. "What exactly are you trying to pull, Jason?"

"I…" he decided to come clean. "I've been playing it for a couple of months. On that TV over there." He nodded toward the corner of his room.

"You set me up… didn't you?" hissed Princess, her eyes flashing.

"Yeah…" drawled Jason, "I couldn't think of any other way for you to give me a chance."

"What?" asked Princess, confused.

"Well you were so hung up on Mark for awhile, and you never even gave me a second glance. And then you buried yourself in that damn game…" he shook his head, "I wanted to pull your head out of it to look around…"

"To look at you." Princess said. She didn't seem quite so angry anymore.

"I didn't want to take advantage of you. That was never my intention." Jason said, "But I _did_ want you to see me… in a different light."

"Well…" Princess said, in a decent imitation of Jason's mocking drawl, "I guess since you're going to take me to the concert and all, I could forgive you."

"I was hoping you would." Jason smirked.

"But you'd better watch it, Mister!" Princess warned. "One more wrong move, and I'll blow your head off…" she mimed blowing smoke off of a pistol, and winked.

"Oh, but Princess… your naughty ways are _such_ a bad influence… I don't know if I can help myself…" he said, pulling her toward him.

She didn't resist.

"All the same," she said slowly, "there are no more secrets between us, Jase. Ever."

"No more secrets." he agreed, as he lowered his mouth to hers. "No more games."

And at that moment he knew… there never would be.

Just the game they would play together, to keep their secret from the world.


End file.
